| In Hindu religion and mythology, the nine planets occupy an
important role. The planet deities are referred to as the
NAVAGRAHA and are suppose to have a significant impact on the lives of individual
and therefore a Hindu adorns these planets as deities, so that they may
bring peace and harmony in their life and to avert any mishap.NAVA
means nine. GRAHA means planet.Graha literally means to grab. They are
probably called so because they cause eclipses by grabbing the Sun and other stars.
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| PLANETS |
RULING DEITY |
OVER RULER |
STONES |
| SURYA - THE SUN |
AGNI,GOD OF FIRE |
SHIVA |
RED RUBY |
| SOMA - THE MOON |
APAS, WATER GODDESS |
PARVATI |
MOONSTONE AND NATURAL PEARLS |
| MANGAL - THE MARS |
BHUMI, EARTH GODDESS |
SKANDA |
RED CORAL |
| BUDHA - THE MERCURY |
VISHNU,THE PRESERVER |
VISHNU |
EMERALD |
| BRIHASPATI - THE JUPITER |
INDRA, KING OF GODS |
BRAHMA |
YELLOW SAPPHIRE AND YELLOW TOPAZ |
| SUKRA - THE VENUS |
INDRANI, QUEEN OF GODS |
INDRA |
DIAMOND |
| SHANI - THE SATURN |
YAMA, GOD OF DEATH |
PRAJAPATI |
BLUE SAPPHIRE AND BLACK STONES |
| RAHU - THE DRAGON'S HEAD |
DURGA, GODDESS OF POWER |
SARPA |
HONEY COLORED HESSONITE |
| KETU - THE DRAGON'S TAIL |
CHITRAGUPTA, GOD OF KARMA |
BRAHMA |
CAT'S EYE |
Each of the planets is supposed to bestow a particular boon
to humans. The Hindu science of study of these planets is
called the Vedic Astrology. Classical Vedic astrology uses the seven visible
planets Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, along with the two
lunar nodes, the north and south nodes, Rahu and Ketu. The Hindu astrology is
based on an elaborate calculation of the positions of these planets at the time
of one's birth. For example, the zodiac is divided in to twelve zones ('houses'
of 30 degrees each). The planet Sun travels in to one of these houses each month.
Similarly, the other planets have their times of travel through the zodiac assigned
to them. As the planets travel through these zodiac signs, their relative positions
with respect to each other changes and is supposed to determine the fate of the
human affairs. An astrologer can draw up a horoscope of a person based on his
time of birth and calculate the relative positions of the planets relative to
this horoscope. The planets are also believed to influence the outcomes of historical
events of entire nations and the Earth. Each planet has its own mode of circumambulation
- clockwise or anti-clockwise. Each planet faces a different direction. In religious
rites, beetle nuts represent the planets and the priest invites each planet to
be present there and witness and bless the puja.
Navagrahas the planet deities of which the first seven are Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury,
Jupiter, Venus, Saturn give names to the days of the week: Sunday to Saturday
respectively. The other two Rahu (Ascending node) and Ketu (Descending node) are
also fabled as planets, the former as a planet with a head and no body and the
latter as a planet with a body and no head. In the Puranas, they are all represented
as deities borne in cars. They are propitiated because of their sinister effects
(Saturn, Rahu and Ketu) and for their favorable influences (Jupiter, Venus, Mercury,
Mars, the sun and the moon). The favor of all must be conciliated before marriages
and other auspicious events can be successfully accomplished.
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